Shear wave splitting
Okay kiddo, imagine you're standing in a big field with your friend. Your friend starts running towards you and you notice that the grass around them starts to bend and sway. This is because of a wave that goes through the ground when your friend runs, called a seismic wave.
Now, there are two parts to this seismic wave - one that moves up and down, and another that moves side to side. We call them "P-waves" and "S-waves". P-waves are like a slinky, moving back and forth along the direction of travel. S-waves, however, move up and down perpendicular to the direction of travel.
But sometimes, when the S-wave moves through certain types of rocks, like those found deep beneath the Earth's surface, something strange happens. Instead of staying all in one plane, or direction, the wave gets split into two other waves that move in different planes.
It's like if you held a piece of paper in front of your face and tried to poke your finger through it. Instead of just going straight through, your finger would split the paper in two and go around it.
This is called "shear wave splitting". It happens because the rock the S-wave is passing through is made up of crystals that are lined up in a certain way. When the wave hits them, it gets split along the crystal planes, kind of like how your finger gets split by the paper.
We can use shear wave splitting to learn more about the Earth's interior. By studying how the waves are split and where they come from, we can figure out what kinds of rocks and minerals are down there, and how they're arranged. It's like using a giant X-ray to look inside the planet!
Now, there are two parts to this seismic wave - one that moves up and down, and another that moves side to side. We call them "P-waves" and "S-waves". P-waves are like a slinky, moving back and forth along the direction of travel. S-waves, however, move up and down perpendicular to the direction of travel.
But sometimes, when the S-wave moves through certain types of rocks, like those found deep beneath the Earth's surface, something strange happens. Instead of staying all in one plane, or direction, the wave gets split into two other waves that move in different planes.
It's like if you held a piece of paper in front of your face and tried to poke your finger through it. Instead of just going straight through, your finger would split the paper in two and go around it.
This is called "shear wave splitting". It happens because the rock the S-wave is passing through is made up of crystals that are lined up in a certain way. When the wave hits them, it gets split along the crystal planes, kind of like how your finger gets split by the paper.
We can use shear wave splitting to learn more about the Earth's interior. By studying how the waves are split and where they come from, we can figure out what kinds of rocks and minerals are down there, and how they're arranged. It's like using a giant X-ray to look inside the planet!